A town council in Somerset spends more on burial grounds than young people, it has been claimed.

Beverly Milner Simonds, a Labour candidate standing in the upcoming town council election in Burnham and Highbridge, said the council currently spends £147,000 on burials - an estimated 25 per cent of its budget, compared to just 2 per cent on youth services.

“The council is funded by resident taxes and the present budget the allocation is for less than 2 per cent on youth services - like playgroups, youth clubs and hang-outs”, she said.

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“I am respectful of the need to maintain graveyards in a state that gives a place for memorial and remembrance. I would like the town council to look again at this massive difference budget allocation and think about how it looks after the youth in the parish.”

One of Burnham’s few youth clubs, the Youth Zone, had been faced closure but was saved after public appeals for funding.

A spokeswoman from Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge town council said the council “cares a great deal about supporting the young people in our community.”

They added: “We are already addressing this issue very seriously and we are keen to work with groups providing activities for young people.”